Typical brownies tend to dry out quickly and become tough and hard. They also tend to form a dense, fudgy bottom layer and a drier upper layer. This results in a decrease in height. The chocolate flavor impression of brownies is sometimes lacking as well. Hence, there is a need for improvements in brownies in these areas.
Several references disclose baked goods made with fiber or bulking agents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,083 to Glicksman et al. describes a dry cake mix comprising 10-50% flour, 0-45% sugar, 2-12% shortening, 0-20% egg white solids, 1-12% leavening agent, 0-4% emulsifier, 1-20% bulking agent and 0-10% gum. The preferred bulking agents are citrus albedo, sugar beet pulp, and pineapple core. The cake mix is combined with from 0.6 to 2.5 parts by weight water for each 1 part cake mix and baked to produce a low-calorie cake containing less than 2 calories per gram and 40% or more water on an as-consumed basis.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,681 to Hegedus et al. discloses a process for preparing a 40% or greater calorie-reduced cake containing a moisture content of 40% or more. The process involves preparing a batter formulation comprising 40-65% water, 5-30% cake flour, 0-25% sugar, 1-6% shortening, 0-10% egg white solids, 0.5-6% of a leavening agent, 0-2% of an emulsifier and 1-20% of a water binder which is either a gum, bulking agent or combination; adjusting the batter viscosity within the range of from 15,000 to 30,000 cps. as measured by a Brookfield Viscometer; and baking at a temperature of from 300.degree.-450.degree. F. (149.degree.-232.degree. C.) for a time sufficient to produce a bake loss of moisture of from 5-20%.
Cakes differ from brownies and other baked goods with 5% to 20% moisture in several respects, including the levels of shortening and water, the uniformity of distribution of the water, and the ratio of sugar to flour. The references do not address the problems of moisture retention, height, and chocolate flavor intensity.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to produce brownies which retain their moisture and moisture density longer, are taller, are more tolerant to underbaking, and are better tasting than standard brownies.
It is another object of this invention to provide these improvements by incorporating a cellulosic fiber into the brownies.
It is a further object of this invention to make improved brownie-like baked goods having from 5% to 20% moisture, e.g. bar cookies and chewy granola or snack bars.
These and other objects of the invention will become clear by the disclosure herein.
All percentages are by weight unless othewise defined.